Drilling rigs are typically rotary-typed rigs that use a sharp bit to drill through the earth. At the surface, a rotary drilling rig often includes a complex system of cables, engines, support mechanisms, tanks, lubricating devices, and pulleys to control the position and rotation of the bit below the surface.
Underneath the surface, the bit is attached to a long drill pipe which carries drilling fluid to the bit. The drilling fluid lubricates and cools the bit, as well as removes cuttings and debris from the well bore. In addition, the drilling fluid provides a hydrostatic head of pressure that prevents the collapse of the well bore until it can be cased and that prevents formation fluids from entering the well bore, which can lead to gas kicks and other dangerous situations.
Automated management of drilling rig operations is problematic because parameters may change quickly and because down hole behavior of drilling elements and down hole conditions may not be directly observable. As a result, many management systems fail to accurately recognize the presence and/or absence of important drilling events, which may lead to false alarms and unnecessary down time.